


World Enough, and Time

by subjunctive



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Hot Chocolate, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-25
Updated: 2014-01-25
Packaged: 2018-01-09 22:21:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1151484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/subjunctive/pseuds/subjunctive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(AU - Killian/Hook was caught in Regina's curse.) Ruby hopes to no avail. Killian breaks his promises. Until the day everything changes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	World Enough, and Time

**Author's Note:**

> The title comes from Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress." Also, my early canon is dusty, so I'm pretty sure I've made some major mistakes re: the timeline and canon divergence. Apologies/Kanyeshrugs for all!
> 
> I realize that Killian's name should have been changed, per the curse's effects, but alas: I didn't think that would work well.
> 
> This was for tardis_mafia over on LJ, for ouat_exchange.

**142 Days Before**

Ruby already had the bagel toasting when he walked in. Sleep rumpled his eyes, and his movements were sluggish as he pulled off his leather riding gloves and stuffed them in his pockets, but Ruby had been up and zipping around for an hour. She'd already downed two cups of coffee ( _"that coffee's for customers, Ruby," Granny had grumped, bent over a stack of papers in the office_ ) while getting the café ready to open and serving the early birds as they shuffled in one by one.

"I've got just the cure for that," she said with a grin, sauntering over and leaning against the counter in what she hoped was an appealing way.

He took a bar stool, the one closest to her (he always did). "Cure for what?" His question was interrupted by his own yawn, which he didn't bother to cover.

" _That_." In front of him, Ruby sat down one cup of coffee, black with three sugars. "Just like you like it," she added.

"Hot and sweet," Killian confirmed with a wink (a little too tired to be as roguishly charming as he obviously intended, but she'd take what she could get), taking a swig. "Like someone I know."

Ruby mock-gasped. "What's her name? Horning in on _my_ territory? Who does she think she is?"

"Well, she's gorgeous, got dark hair . . . red headband . . . legs that go all the way up . . ." He paused to let her flick her apron at him. "You'll know her when you see her, I expect."

The toaster oven dinged, and Ruby turned to attend to it. "Hey, guess what?" she said over her shoulder as she prepared the plate. She didn't wait for him to guess. "We've got smoked salmon today!" The plate she was holding included a bagel, cream cheese, and the aforementioned luxury item. Well, luxury for Storybrooke, anyway. It was his favorite.

The grin was definitely more awake now. "Have I told you lately that you're a goddess, darling?"

Ruby put a finger to her red lips consideringly. "Hmm . . . it does _feel_ like it's been awhile. Maybe you should say it again to make up for it."

Killian chuckled and reached for the plate. Before he could grab it, though, she pulled it out of his reach, inspiring a weak noise of protest.

"Just one thing." The plate was tantalizingly out of reach. "How about you take your darling goddess on that ride you've been promising her tonight, huh? You, me, your motorcycle, the stars at night . . . ?"

"Ruby, Ruby, Ruby. You'll do anything to hop on a bike, won't you? I'm a gentleman, I'll have you know. What kind of lady . . ." Killian clucked at her, but he was eyeing his bagel with something akin to desperation, if she knew her smoked-salmon-inspired looks.

"Hey, I _am_ a lady, Mr. Gentleman! Not just any old bike. Just the ones I like very much, who take me out to get hot chocolate first."

"Ruby!" Granny squawked from the kitchen.

Ruby relented and handed over his breakfast with a sigh. "Duty calls." She wiggled her fingers in his direction.

"Aye, but I've got your number, haven't I? I'll give it a ring."

"You promised me a night I wouldn't forget," she reminded him in a sing-song voice.

"Wouldn't dream of anything less."

Later that night, she received a text: _Sorry, love. Not tonight._

 _It's fine,_ she texted back from her couch.

It wasn't like she hadn't been expecting it, but the disappointment still stung. How long had they been playing this song and dance, tiptoeing around the possibility of . . . something? Forever, it felt like. They never seemed to get anywhere.

It was times like these she really lamented Storybrooke's lack of a bar. Instead, she texted Ashley, telling her she was going to come by, and that there had better be a really sappy romantic comedy in their near futures. Knowing Ashley, it would be awful and saccharine and absolutely perfect. Curling her legs under her, she waited.

 

**127 Days Before**

It was another early morning in the diner, and in the middle of their morning banter, Killian stopped short mid-sentence, coffee mug halfway to his mouth. Some of it sloshed on to the counter.

"Did you know there's an outsider come to town?" he asked, as if he'd only just remembered. He was frowning, his eyes fixed distantly at some point behind her.

"'Outsider,'" she said, with accompanying air quotes, which was a bit awkward around the towel she'd just used to mop up his spill. "Does everyone have to do this typical provincial small town thing?"

Killian's gaze snapped back to her, looking amused. "Oh, come on, love, like you don't think it's exciting."

" _Okay,_ " she admitted, rolling her eyes, her smile secretive. "It's maybe a tiny little bit exciting. For, you know, Podunkville, New England. Anyway, 'the outsider' has a name: it's Emma."

"I know. I helped her with her Bug yesterday. Transmission troubles." He helped himself to another sugar packet. "Hey, you've any milk?"

Ruby stared at him. "Since when do you take _milk_ in your coffee?"

He shrugged, unfazed. "Trying something new, I guess."

"Whatever." She grabbed the milk from the mini-fridge and handed it to him. "Actually, she's staying here. I mean, Granny's renting her a room." Her acrylic nails tapped against the counter.

Apparently he'd already lost interest in the topic, judging by his next words: "Hey, Ruby. You don't . . ." He hesitated, clearly puzzled. "You don't happen to know anything about – Mr. Gold?"

"Uh – just what everyone knows, including you. Owns the town, don't wanna piss off, et cetera. _Why?_ " she demanded, bemused. "You're not behind on your payments or anything, are you? Please say you're not."

Downing the last of his coffee, he looked just as confused as she felt. "No, nothing like that. He . . . gave me this really weird look the other day when I cut him the check, and then I saw Emma, and I thought . . . I don't know. Just had this feeling." He shook his head as if to clear it.

"Like everything's gonna change soon?" Ruby's voice was quiet, thoughtful. She'd had some odd thoughts in the past few days, too.

"Yeah," he agreed, studying the bottom of his cup. "Something like that. Like that feeling you get before a storm, but you know it's coming."

Ruby straightened up. "Well, there's one thing that hasn't changed: the price of a cup of coffee." She held his check out with a smile.

 

**68 Days Before:**

Ruby got off-- _finally, God_ \--at three-fifteen, yanking off her apron with loathing. Half the time she didn't even bother wearing the damn thing, but you could never tell when Granny would get ornery about the stupid little details.

She kept a distrustful eye on the sky outside. If her plan was to go out tonight, she'd need a whole lot of layers, and putting everything on and taking it off again just sounded like way too much work. But if that wasn't the plan, it was going to be the third day in a row she'd just gone up to her room after work. She might have been a small-town girl, but Ruby knew that was just pathetic.

Oh, who was she kidding? Ever since Ashley and Sean had the baby, there was no one to go out _with_. Not since her favorite breakfast customer with the rakish good looks and charm had been ignoring her lately, anyway, lost in his own little world.

Not that she'd ever describe him that way to his face.

Speak of the devil – was that him coming through the door?

It _was_. Ruby popped the top button on her shirt and tried to look nonchalant.

Judging by his grin as his eyes swept up and down over her, he noticed. "Ruby," he greeted appreciatively.

"Sorry, Killian, I'm off duty. Someone else'll have to getcha," she said breezily, fetching her coat and scarf from behind the kitchen door. She folded the scarf in half and draped it around her neck, coming up to him.

"What if I don't want anyone else to get me?"

Ruby paused mid-loop and cocked her head. He looked . . . different. At first, she couldn't put her finger on _how_ , exactly. Then it occurred to her. A little leaner and a little hungrier, maybe. Gone was the fog that had been wrapped around him for the past few months. He looked _awake_.

And he was fiddling with the tips of her scarf while she stared at him. Nice, she chided herself. He was looking straight at her.

Finally she managed to find her voice. "What _do_ you want, Killian?" When she spoke, it wasn't with the tone of flirty banter they'd been trading back and forth for however long. It was serious. She almost gulped at herself. Were they going to, like . . . actually talk?

"Maybe," he said, "I want to give you that ride we've been talking about forever."

Dimly, she heard Granny scoff behind her.

"Bike's outside," he added. "There's even a helmet for you." His lips curved in amusement.

"Why aren't you at the shop?" she said stupidly, regretting the question the moment it left her mouth. "I mean – it's the middle of the business day."

His mouth twisted unpleasantly. "I – closed early."

All of a sudden she became aware of the fact that there were other people around, a few of them at least, including her own _grandmother_ , who had become very interested in this very public conversation. Silently she cursed them all, and tried to speak in a lower voice. "Uh, is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," he said, his voice so sunny, so confident, that she knew right away he was lying. He was too loud, uncomfortably loud, and the diner felt cramped. "Felt like taking the afternoon off."

Seeing no other option, Ruby grabbed his arm and led him toward the "bed" half of the bed-and-breakfast, hopefully away from prying eyes and ears. "What is wrong?" she hissed when they were far enough away, "and _oh_ , don’t lie to me again, I know you."

Glancing over again at the diners, who were still watching them even if their decrepit old ears couldn't hear a thing, Killian sighed, and she heard the weight of the world in it. He rubbed his forehead with his free hand, jaw clenching and unclenching.

"Gold –" Killian stopped, breathing heavily. There was a flush to his face. Oh, he was angry. "He's raised the rent on the shop starting next month."

A deep pit of dread began to well up in Ruby's gut. "Raised it? How much did he raise it?" Her voice sounded tinny to her own ears, and she let go of her arm.

He started pacing, even though the foyer was a small enough space already. " _Enough_. Enough that I can't stay open much longer."

"You can't –" Ruby faltered. "There isn't some way to, I don't know, drum up business?"

Killian gave a short laugh, bitter and unpleasant. "Not unless I went around cutting everyone's brakes myself. It's a tiny town, Ruby! I was barely breaking even before!" He ran his hand through his hair, once, twice, again, till it was a mess. "I don't know what's gotten into him. We've always just – ignored each other. He's an unpleasant character, but there's been no bad blood between us. But lately, he's been making all these comments, snide little things, saying things I don't understand – sometimes it's like dementia, as if he's got me confused with someone else –" He broke off with a frustrated noise.

When he resumed speaking again, it was in a lower, more controlled voice. "And then I started thinking, what did I really want? The shop? It's not like I _dreamed_ of becoming a mechanic since I was a child. Was there anything I ever -? It just seemed like something was missing. Or like I had forgotten something. Or someone, maybe."

Killian was looking at her again, in that weird, intense way. "You?" It was half-question, as though he were asking her. Like _she_ would know the answer. "All this time, I _wanted_ , and I never let myself . . . But . . ."

He struck like a snake, darting forward to kiss her. It was sudden, hot, aggressive – not gentle, or gentlemanly – and Ruby almost yelped in surprise. Her fingers curled into the collar of his leather jacket as she steadied herself against him. One of his hands fisted in her hair, tugging her head back a little, and she heard herself sigh.

"Killian – do you really think –" He nipped at her bottom lip distractingly. "- this is the right time?" He didn't seem to be listening, so she pushed gently at him. That did seem to get to him, at least enough that he stumbled back a half-step.

He regarded her with surprise, and – was that a tinge of disappointment? "I thought – you – that wasn't it." He gave an exasperated sigh.

Whatever she wasn't, Ruby didn't much care at the moment. "Look, you've got this thing with Gold to deal with," she urged quietly, "and as much as I am all for fun makeout times, maybe another day? You don't seem okay. I'm kind of worried about you."

Irritation lanced across his face. "I don't need _minding_."

"That's not what I –" Swallowing her flare of indignation, Ruby tried a different approach. "Look, maybe he's up to something. Something not-good. I don’t want to see you get caught up in it."

He began turning away, but Ruby caught him by the sleeve. "Just, look, if –" She thought of Ashley, and Emma, and her bad feelings multiplied. "Don't make a deal with him, okay? This is gonna sound crazy, but I have the feeling it would be even worse than losing the shop."

It seemed like he would walk away without acknowledging her, but then he gave a short nod, not meeting her eyes. She let him go.

 

**7 Days After**

It was strange, Ruby thought. When the curse had broken, she'd thought Granny's was done for, for good. Who'd be interested in cherry pie and diner fries when there was _magic_ and secret identities and stuff?

But it had been the other way around. In the week since magic had returned to Storybrooke, more people crowded into Granny's every day. Few residents of the curse saw the benefit in continuing to go to work, of course, but there were people to meet and catch up with, family to reunite with, feuds to continue, gossip to be traded, and – of course – pies to be consumed at all of these gatherings.

"What are we even doing here?" said one of the customers, out of nowhere.

"Eating pumpkin pie?" suggested Ruby, a little bit of acid in her voice as she wiped down the counter for the fourth time in as many minutes.

The guy – it was one of the dwarves, she remembered suddenly, though she couldn't tell the difference between Sleepy and Grumpy, to say nothing of their _fake_ names – grunted. Grumpy, definitely. "That's not what I meant, missy. We're all just –" He gestured around the diner vaguely with his fork. A blob of the aforementioned pumpkin pie plopped on the counter. "Doing the same old thing. Day in and day out."

"Even though it's a lie," one of the other dwarves added, poking at his apple pie morosely. The ice cream had almost all melted.

"Yeah!" someone else chimed in, and Ruby didn't bother to stifle her loud, obnoxious sigh.

"And what do you think we _should_ be doing, exactly?" Ruby threw the washrag in the sanitizer bucket with a little more force than necessary.

"The Evil Queen is still living in her stupid fake mansion," someone suggested, and it sounded like there would be more from _that_ line of thought, but someone came through the door before she could continue.

It was David, A.K.A. Prince Charming, A.K.A. temporary Sheriff of Storybrooke. When Ruby looked at him, she had the strangest sensation of seeing two different people at once. Jarring, like clashing colors.

"How's the new gig?" she inquired politely, flicking one of her pigtails. Everyone else was quiet – overawed, maybe. He _was_ The Prince Charming. But at the moment, he looked ragged around the edges. More from worry than work, if she had to guess.

"You'd think a small-town Sheriff wouldn't have a lot to do." Offering her a tired smile, he took a stool at the counter and scrubbed a hand over his face.

"Oh yeah? Toss anyone in the clink today?" she teased him.

David-yet-Charming smiled, but then hesitated for a moment, as if remembering something. "Actually . . . there's been trouble with someone you know."

She raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Granny? Don't tell me she was jaywalking again."

He gave a chuckle, but shook his head. "I believe you know . . . Captain Hook?"

" _Captain Hook?_ Captain Hook is in Storybrooke?" What kind of luck was that? Couldn't they have just left all the evil ones behind? Well, Regina was behind the whole ordeal, so no, but _still_. So unfair. Ruby felt the injustice keenly. "Wait, why do you think _I_ know Captain Hook? Of all people, jeez. I don't, definitely," she assured him, "not from here, and I never met the guy back home, either. Heard of him, yeah. Dangerous dude, I'm given to understand. But I don't know anyone who's missing a hand . . ." She pursed her lips quizzically.

Taking a deep breath, like he was preparing for something, David said, "Well, he's not missing it now. His name, it's – Killian Jones."

There was a moment of silence. Ruby's brain struggled to catch up with the words she was hearing.

" _What?!_ " At Ruby's ear-splitting shriek, the entire diner fell silent. Everyone was listening ( _again_ , God), but she didn't care. "Are you _kidding_ me? That's ridiculous. I would know if – Killian – No. You've got the wrong guy." At a loss for words to express his total mistakenness, she stopped and stared at him.

"It's the right guy, Ruby," David (that was what she was settling on, she decided) said, touching her arm gently, as if in consolation. "Actually, maybe you could talk to him? He's back at the station. I hear you two are . . . friends."

"Something like that," she said automatically, and then, more uncertainly: "What did he do?"

David grimaced. "He – got into a fight with Gold. _Rumplestiltskin._ " He said the last part as though to remind himself. "Actually, it was more like a murder attempt than a fight. At least according to Gold."

"You can't trust him," said Ruby swiftly.

He made a face. "Yeah, I know. Apparently, back in the day, Hook – Captain Jones – ran off with Rumplestiltskin's wife. That's what I got from the bystanders. There was a lot of shouting, I guess."

Jeez.

She was already untying her apron. "Gimme a sec –" She pushed open the door to the back-of-house to shout. "Granny, I have to go with the Sheriff!"

Granny stuck her head out the office door. "What kind of trouble are you in now, girl?" she demanded, her gray curls wild.

"Not trouble!" Ruby protested, checking the clock surreptitiously. "Helping with a very important investigation. Ashley's going to be here in ten." Granny grunted, which was good enough for permission – at least for Ruby, who promptly hooked her apron on the rack and took her coat as a replacement. "See you later!"

When they pulled into the station's parking lot a few minutes later, it hit her, _really_ hit her, that she was actually going to _see_ him. Anxiety gnawed at her. What would he think when he saw her? They hadn't spoken in over two months, and their last conversation hadn't exactly gone well. In fact, she was pretty sure she'd rejected him. Publicly, which she was given to understand could be kind of a humiliating situation for him. It was only temporary on her end, she knew, but maybe he'd seen it differently, and that was why he hadn't come by.

Besides, if he really were Captain Hook (and she still hadn't accepted it _quite_ yet), how different would he be?

And what could she possibly say to him?

She realized she was lost in thought when David nudged her knee. "Hey, Little Red Riding Hood. You look like you're about to meet the big bad wolf," he joked. "You okay?"

Well, if _that_ wasn't the kicker. She gave a weak, only slightly hysterical laugh. But it didn't make her feel bad, weirdly enough. Actually, the reminder that she _was_ the wolf boosted her confidence a little. One monster to another, right? Flashing David a brighter-than-necessary smile, Ruby followed him into the station.

As David closed the door behind him, she heard a voice come from the corner: "I _told_ you already, Sheriff, I will not strip for your perverse entertainment." The voice sounded supremely bored, like sitting in a jail cell was _such_ a chore to be endured. He must have registered the extra pair of footsteps, though, because the next thing he said was, "Oh, have you brought a friend?" He was lying down, she saw.

"Not my friend," David said simply. "Yours. Someone's here to see you, Hook."

At that, the figure did move, betraying a teeny bit of interest. "Don't tell me Smee, that old fool –" When his gaze fell to her, however, he went noticeably silent. She watched, with no small amount of satisfaction, his jaw working but no words coming out. Let him be speechless, she decided, remembering that he'd been the jerk. She walked up to his cell.

"Crocodile got your tongue?" she asked. And _Jesus_ , what on Earth had possessed her, to say that?

But apparently it wasn't the worst possible opening line, because she would have _sworn_ she saw him almost crack a smile. A dangerous smile, but a smile nonetheless. She considered it progress, anyway. Without thinking about it, her eyes strayed toward his hands. They were both there, hale and healthy, as far as she could tell.

Following her line of sight, Killian laughed shortly, bleakly. "You noticed too, eh? I suppose you know who I really am, now. _Captain Hook._ Even if I haven't got the namesake any longer."

She jerked her gaze up to his reluctant one. "I know Killian Jones," she said firmly. He scoffed quietly, but she sped ahead before he could retaliate. "Killian likes working on his motorcycle in his spare time, even though he already runs an auto shop. He takes his coffee with an obscene amount of sugar, and flirts with anything that has two legs –"

"He's a bastard," Killian cut in, "and he's a darker past than you think, lass. I was Killian Jones before, you know. He's been chasing after revenge for _three hundred years._ "

" _And_ he's a commitment-phobe who keeps standing me up," Ruby continued loudly, as if he hadn't spoken. "And he really, really, really likes smoked salmon. Lox, if he can get it, which we don't around here."

At that, Killian was up and holding onto the bars in his cage, knuckles whitening with the pressure of his grip. "You think twenty-eight years in this paltry excuse for a town makes up for a life of three hundred?" he demanded, so low it was almost a growl.

Meeting his eyes steadily, she leaned in. He was only inches away now, eyes dark. "I think you're like the rest of us, split in two. And you have a choice."

"I haven't had a choice since _my true love_ was murdered at the hands of Rumplestiltskin," he said cuttingly, clearly intending to hurt her.

And. It did sting. But she shoved it down. More important things. "You know who I am?" murmured Ruby.

"Yes – little Red Riding Hood." He smirked down at her.

"I'm not just Red," she breathed, so low she hoped that David, who had been studiously ignoring them all the while, couldn’t hear. "Back then, I got convinced that _my_ true love was the Wolf terrorizing the countryside. So I tied him up one night on the full moon. It turns out one of us was the Wolf – it just wasn't him. Well – which one of us do you think was alive the next morning?"

Killian stared at her, eyes widening infinitesimally.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." She smirked. "Don't try to out-tragic-backstory me. You'll lose every time. Get some perspective, Killian." Turning on her heel, Ruby left.

 

**23 Days After**

Killian strode into Granny's Diner as though he _hadn't_ spent the last two weeks in the county jail. Smiling winningly at Ashley, who was on-duty that morning, he claimed his usual seat and ordered "the usual."

"Ruby!" Ashley shouted without preamble to the back of house. "Your boyfriend's here!"

"Stop teasing me, I don't have a –" called Ruby grumpily as she kicked the swinging door open, her hands being otherwise occupied with dishes. "Oh," she said. "It's you."

"Such a warm welcome."

Ashley giggled and waltzed away with the plates Ruby was carrying.

"What happened to . . . jail?" Hot _damn._ If there was a competition for awkward conversation gambits, Ruby was sure she'd win the gold.

"Our _friends_ ," he used the term carefully and almost patronizingly, "have decided that I am of more use to them outside of a cell than locked within."

"Even Rumplestiltskin?"

"Even he," he confirmed, taking a sip of his coffee. His eyes didn't leave her. "It turns out we both have . . . moved on, let's say." What that meant, exactly, she wasn't sure, but she wasn't going to question it.

"So what are you up to now? Back to fixing trannies and replacing spark plugs?"

His eyes were dancing. "Not really. I was wondering, actually – fancy a ride tonight? Weather's supposed to be fair. We never did, you know."

"No, we didn't," she said slowly, leaning against the counter. They didn't exactly have a great track record with this kind of thing. "You sure that's such a good idea?"

Killian shrugged. "Just a ride. Nothing implied, nothing expected. Of course, if we happen to stop for hot chocolate on our way back . . ." He opened his hands to the sky, a gestural _que sera sera_ , and arched an eyebrow at her suggestively. "Who knows what could happen?"

"Hot chocolate," she murmured. "Oh my. Better be careful, that almost sounds like a _real date_."

"Perfect," he said, unfazed, and she smiled.

Later that evening, Ruby paced the length of her room, eyeing her phone, where it sat on her vanity, with trepidation. This was usually the part where she got her hopes up, and then he crushed them with a stupid, short text message. She gnawed on her lower lip. "Come on, Ruby." She was trying to give herself a pep talk, to no avail. "It's kind of pathetic that you're standing around waiting for some guy to call you. It's the twenty-first century, hello. Also, he's changed, right? He seems different this time. Doesn't he?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone started ringing, clattering against the varnish. The screen read _Killian._

Snatching it up, she answered. "Hello?"

"Ruby?" The other end sounded a little staticky. She plugged other ear.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Look, I've got –" At his tone, her heart started to sink. "I have to cancel on you tonight. I'm sorry, love. Something's happened, and –" There was a lot of noise in the background for a few long moments. "Henry's been kidnapped. They've taken him to Neverland. We can get there, but they need someone who knows the lay of the land. And who knows Pan."

"And that's you," she said woodenly. "Yep. Gotcha."

It was hard to hear him, but she thought he might have sighed at that. "I will come back, I promise."

"Sure." Her voice was flat.

"I'm dead serious," he said sternly. "Hot chocolate. Bike ride. I'm holding you to it."

Ruby softened, just a tiny little bit. "Okay, okay, I get it. Future date: happening." At least it was _crisis interruptus_ instead of commitment-phobia, this time. Progress?

Or fate trying to tell her something?

"Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"If I don't come back –" There was silence for a moment.

Ruby's superstitious side sparked up. "No, don't say something like that. When you come back, say whatever it is then."

"All right, love."

Still, when the call disconnected, Ruby felt a little satisfaction in throwing her phone on her bed in sheer frustration. She could just _scream_.

 

**32 Days After**

It was late at night, when she heard the knock. "Who's coming by at this hour?" she muttered on her way to the door. Great: now she was talking to herself like a crazy cat lady. Sans cats, as of yet, but give her time. She was already halfway there, dressed in yoga pants and a sweatshirt.

The knock came again, more insistent this time. "I'm coming!" she called, raising her voice enough to let whoever-it-was that she was annoyed.

Yanking the door open, she was confronted with – a very haggard-looking Killian Jones. In full pirate getup, no less.

Ruby gave him a long, measuring look, up and down, and quirked an eyebrow at him. This was something a girl could appreciate. Why didn't guys wear more leather vests? And was that _eyeliner_? She could get behind that.

Apparently he felt the same way. "You, darling, are a sight for sore eyes." The rich timbre of his voice pulled her out of her reverie and into the present. He held up one hand, holding – she hadn't noticed before –two white packets of generic-brand cocoa mix. Seeing her surprised expression, he said, "I promised you, didn't I?"

"You did," Ruby said softly, and let him in.

It wasn't even very cold outside, but he emptied the packets into mugs while she heated milk on the stove. They worked in total silence for those minutes – it was as if the hot chocolate was some kind of talisman, that if they could just get this part down, the rest would come after naturally enough.

Finally, balancing two cups of hot chocolate, they made their way to the couch, where Ruby had been cuddling with some blankets. Without a word, they settled onto the couch together, her back to his chest. She leaned back and pulled the blankets over them both, and when they were both safely ensconced, she finally – finally – took a sip of that cocoa. When she let out a contented sigh, she felt the rumble of his chuckle at her back.

He took a long drag from his mug, and then sat it down on the floor to wrap both his arms around her, nuzzling into her neck. "There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" she murmured.

"Could use a bit more kick."

She let her head fall back to his shoulder. "There's Frangelico in the cabinet over the fridge," she suggested, half-unwillingly, because she definitely did _not_ want him to move, but it did look like he'd had a long eleven days, and he could probably use a drink.

"I'm fine right where I am, thanks." There was a long stretch of quiet, punctuated only by their breathing and her occasional sips of the cocoa.

Finally he leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. "I thought about what you said. About having to choose. Between the different versions of me." One of his hands snagged her free one and interlaced their fingers.

"Who did you choose?" Hook, the revenge-obsessed pirate captain. Killian, the flirty noncommittal mechanic.

His answer surprised her, though. "Neither. When I was in Neverland, I asked Regina about – about my hand. I was almost scared to, to tell you the truth. I thought just talking about it would make it go away." He gave a little self-deprecating laugh at that.

"What did she say?" Out of curiosity, Ruby traced a path around his wrist with one finger. She could barely see it now, up close, the faint silver tracery of a scar left behind by magic. She wondered if he'd ever noticed it before the curse broke.

"That it was mine to keep." Tugging on her hand, Killian brought it back to his lips and kissed her knuckles, mouth warm and scruff prickly. "She said I should be grateful. That not everyone got a second chance, a way to turn the story out differently."

"I guess she would know."

"Aye."

Setting down her cup, Ruby wiggled around in his arms to face him. Feeling a little overwhelmed and tired, she kissed his jaw, the corner of his mouth, his chin, little fluttering things. "I'm glad you're back," she whispered.

"Me too."

She slipped down to press her cheek against his chest, where she could feel the steady heartbeat. "Because you still owe me that bike ride."

His laughter followed her into sleep.


End file.
